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when 1 plumber with a k50 beats 5 with a jetter

Had a call today with a plugged kitchen sink on the second floor. Runs approx. 40' before it connects to a common 3" main.

Began yesterday when the customer calls out the so called plumbing company to clear the slow sink drain. At the time it was slow. By the time they finished it was 100% plugged up.

So they showed up with 2 guys and 3 hours later they're still fighting the drain stoppage from the sink and the roof. They tried snaking from the sink and ended up with the cable on the roof. They called thier shop for help. 2 more guys and 2 more hours, out comes the 5th guy with a jetter. Now a complete mess and the owner was pissed with the black mess. They claim the 2" line needs to be replaced. She runs them off without payment.

She called me last night to explain. I knew I could easily clear it from the 1.5" roof vent with my k-50. So this morning I go on the roof with my spool of cable and rick reverse auger. Power my way through the galvanized durham 1963 line. Owner calls me to tell me the water went down in the sink. I have her run hot and check for good heat transfer in the garage 3" main. I run a second time with the water flowing with a straight auger. 56' later from the roof vent I clean up. Collect my check and have a nice friendly conversation with the owner who's an academy member director. She's not a fan of reality shows, but she's interested in a plumbing reality show now

Not bad 1 man 1 hour and a k-50. Versus a crew of 5 and 15 man hours with a snake and jetter.

Rick, was this someone you have done work for in the past or was this a new customer? Any idea why she decided to call the other guy before you?

good question. yes, i've worked for the complex for several years. this last year they got an unknown company in for their yearly cleaning of a 34 unit sewer mains and 6 common mains. that was back in november and they've already had 2 units backup and others are already complaining of issues.

each year they elect a new board and last year the guy on the board was looking for the cheapest price and he found it. my best contact there was actually pissed they went with another co. he even told me that they broke their machine in his unit and he had to fix it for them as he's an auto mechanic with skills. i just had to resnake his main this week full of roots too.

the kitchen stoppage has nothing to do with the yearly cleaning. but the homeowner used them as it was her last person of contact. wait til i post her email to me today.

rick.

Hi Rick,

I can't thank you enough for saving me the pipe - again! I fully appreciate your level of expertise in such a complicated matter that looks so easy when you do it. People don't understand it until they witness what I did.

Please email me the quote for a water heater and installation. I would appreciate the exact model you think you would install in my house, I'd like to read about it: I'd prefer the tank "Tier II ENERGY STAR® – must have an Energy Factor (EF) of .67 or above".

Also, what tankless water heater would be best for my place and would it be better than the storage tank water heater?

Comment

Kitchen drains are the nastiest fixtures to snake. Especially when there is no cleanout and you have to drop the trap. The roof vent allowed me to snake from the top while the sink still had water and allowed me to know when the stoppage cleared. No mess and no cleanup.

Of course the majority of kitchens I see have a way snaking without dropping the trap. The ones that don't are not as fun.

Kitchen drains are the nastiest fixtures to snake. Especially when there is no cleanout and you have to drop the trap. The roof vent allowed me to snake from the top while the sink still had water and allowed me to know when the stoppage cleared. No mess and no cleanup.

Of course the majority of kitchens I see have a way snaking without dropping the trap. The ones that don't are not as fun.

Rick.

Sorry man, thought I shared this one with you. This goes on the tubular, hose goes in the drain, run water while snaking. Gotta cut the hose at a steep angle so it pushes easily in the drain. You can either put a 45 on the drain or just let the extra water dribble out in a pan. Cable comes back nice and clean.

Next to impossible to even think tank less as the heater is 2 floors above the garage and the gas meter is outside at garage level.

Keep in mind the existing tank heater is a 50 gallon 15+ year old heater that's never been serviced. Who in their right mind would sell them a tankless:confused old:

Rick.

This is one of the things that give Tankless water heaters a bad name,
people or plumbers not taking into account the local conditions and not realizing that tankless is not always the right heater to install and leads to complaints